7 hurt after helicopter makes hard landing in Boulder City
Seven people were injured when a helicopter that routinely takes tourists to the Grand Canyon made a hard landing at the Boulder City Municipal Airport on Tuesday afternoon, a Boulder City official said.
The Boulder City Fire Department responded, said Lisa LaPlante, the communications manager for Boulder City, in an email.
“For reasons unknown at this time, the helicopter made a hard landing,” the post said.
Seven people — the pilot and six passengers — were on board the chopper, which was returning from the trip, according to a post on the Boulder City Facebook page. All seven suffered non-life threatening injuries. Some were taken to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas while others were taken to St. Rose Dominican Hospital - Siena Campus in Henderson.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed it is investigating the crash and the National Transportation Safety Board identified the operator of the Airbus Helicopters EC130 T2 as Las Vegas-based Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopter air tours.
Papillon representatives did not immediately respond Wednesday to a telephone message.
“As is protocol with aircraft incidents, the National Transportation Safety Board has been contacted and will handle the investigation,” the Facebook post stated.
NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said a preliminary crash report should be available within about three weeks.
Contact Brett Clarkson at bclarkson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrettClarkson_ on Twitter. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
